Previous to the American Revolution it had cared for many sick and wounded. Just before that period, in connection with the French and Indian wars, it had established a military hos pital .vith accommodations for 500 patients. This was in use during the fighting along Lake Champlain, Lake George, Ticonderoga. Fort Edward, Bemis Heights, Saratoga, Schuyler ville and the campaign of the Revolution. Later, during the epidemic of cholera, in 1832, barracks were erected for care of the sick; also in the beginning of the Civil War a large hospital was erected, much in the style of the barracks of to-day, and to this were brought the sick and wounded from about Richmond during the fighting under McClellan.
John Morgan began his study during the period of the French and Indian wars. As he came in contact with the foreign surgeons who came over with the English troops, he found his own ability not at all commensurate with his ambition. So in 1760 he went to Lon don and studied under the. Hunters, and then to Edinburgh, where he came under the influ ence of Cullen, the Munroes and others, and where he graduated. He next went to Paris and was admitted to the Academy of Surgery; he then made a tour of Eifrope, having the ad vantage of a personal acquaintance with Mor gagni in Padua. Morgan spent five years in this foreign study and upon his return, in 1765, became closely associated with the younger Shippen. The Shippens were a well-known medical family of Philadelphia, and were men of liberal education and social distinction. Shippen had already given private instruction in midwifery and the two men joined hands most heartily in this commendable effort. When the trustees of the college opened the school Mor gan and Shippen became professors, respec tively, of medicine and surgery. Thus it will be seen that Shippen was the first professor of surgery in this country, and that the first sys tematic instruction in surgery was given by him in 1765.
The faculty was joined a little later by Ben jamin Rush, who became the most conspicuous figure of his day, as a professional man, in this country. He was but 24 years of age when he was made professor of chemistry, and he was but 31 years of age when He became a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The gather ing war clouds of the Revolution dampened the ardor of all at this time, and the work of car rying on the hospital and medical school was exceedingly heavy and fell mostly upon the shoulders of three or four men. In 1779 the assembly revoked its charter which was, how ever, restored in 1793. In the meantime the condition of affairs in New York was not much better.
One man; however, stood out pre-eminently as an efficient physician and broad-minded citi zen. This was Samuel Bard, whose name de serves to be closely associated with that of Rush. When he returned to this country in after a period of foreign study, he was inspired with the thought of founding a medi cal school in his native land. In 1768 he as sociated with himself, Clossy in anatomy, John Jones in surgery, Middleton in physiology, Rush in chemistry, Tennent in obstetrics, he himself taking charge of the principles and practice of physic. Thus the medical school of King's College was established. Jones was perhaps the first in this country to distinguish himself as a surgeon. He had been under the best teachers in Europe, and had seen a great deal of military surgery in his day, especially during the French War. He was independent enough to decline to adopt some of the peculiar notions of his colleagues regarding appropriate cos tumes, but in the end the absurdities which he dispensed with were discontinued by them. He wrote a book for the Revolutionary surgeon, entitled iPlain, Concise and Practical Remarks on the Treatment of Wounds and Fractures.' Up to this time, midwifery had been practised by untrained women and it can readily be seen what an advantage it was to have the science of obstetrics systematically taught as it was in both schools above mentioned.
During the six years while New York was occupied by British troops there was a cessation of college activity. The faculty was not a unit in its political beliefs and after the Dec laration came dissensions. Three years after the war the college went on under its new name, 'Columbia," but with very poor success. A spurt was made again in 1792. In 1807 the New York University opened a medical college, but jealousy and strife prevented its success. Fi nally, in 1811, a union of the two schools was accomplished under the name of the younger and thereafter the College of Physicians and Surgeons prospered and is to-day one of the leading schools in this country, though now again under the aegis of Columbia. Meantime under Bard's influence, the New York Hospital had been founded in 1768 and chartered in 1770. It was in their new building that the Provincial Congress used to meet during the second year of the Revolution; but when the British arrived the hospital was turned into a barracks and Bard and Jones joined the Con tinental armies. It was not until 1791 that the hospital was fully and finally equipped and began its career of usefulness.